mming the torrent was felt as well by them
as by himself, and, after an effort or two to gain a fair hearing, they
submitted in silence. Among the few attempts made by himself towards
confuting his calumniators was an appeal (such as the following short
letter contains) to some of those persons with whom he had been in the
habit of living familiarly.

[Footnote 94: MS.--"Detached Thoughts."]

[Footnote 95: An anecdote connected with one of these occasions is thus
related in the Journal just referred to:--

"When the bailiff (for I have seen most kinds of life) came upon me in
1815 to seize my chattels, (being a peer of parliament, my person was
beyond him,) being curious (as is my habit), I first asked him "what
extents elsewhere he had for government?" upon which he showed me one
upon _one house only_ for _seventy thousand pounds_! Next I asked him if
he had nothing for Sheridan? "Oh--Sheridan!" said he; "ay, I have this"
(pulling out a pocket-book, &c.); "but, my Lord, I have been in
Sheridan's house a twelvemonth at a time--a civil gentleman--knows how
to deal with _us_," &c. &c. &c. Our own business was then discussed,
which was none of the easiest for me at that time. But the man was
civil, and (what I valued more) communicative. I had met many of his
brethren, years before, in affairs of my friends, (commoners, that is,)
but this was the first (or second) on my own account.--A civil man;
fee'd accordingly; probably he anticipated as much."]

[Footnote 96: For this story, however, there was so far a foundation
that the practice to which he had accustomed himself from boyhood, of
having loaded pistols always near him at night, was considered so
strange a propensity as to be included in that list of symptoms
(sixteen, I believe, in number,) which were submitted to medical
opinion, in proof of his insanity. Another symptom was the emotion,
almost to hysterics, which he had exhibited on seeing Kean act Sir Giles
Overreach. But the most plausible of all the grounds, as he himself used
to allow, on which these articles of impeachment against his sanity were
drawn up, was an act of violence committed by him on a favourite old
watch that had been his companion from boyhood, and had gone with him to
Greece. In a fit of vexation and rage, brought on by some of those
humiliating embarrassments to which he was now almost daily a prey, he
furiously dashed this watch upon the hearth, and ground it to pieces
among the ashes w